The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday morning authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 boosters for use in all adults, The Washington Post reports. The authorization is a "one-size-fits-all strategy" aimed at both hardening Americans' defenses against the virus" and "widening the booster campaign" to contend with a recent increase in cases, per the Post and The Wall Street Journal.
The Friday decision "essentially makes an additional dose a standard part of COVID-19 vaccinations now," writes the Journal, though some states have already expanded eligibility. Anyone 18 and older and at least six months past their second dose of the vaccine is qualified under the FDA's guidelines.
The move also reflects efforts to get ahead of waning vaccine efficacy, especially as the holidays approach, writes the Post.
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The FDA will now pass the torch to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which must also sign off on the authorization before its final approval. The agency is expected to make a decision in accordance with the FDA's by the end of Friday, possibly expanding booster access for millions of Americans as soon as this weekend.
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